Delhi gang-rape trial: Victim’s friend testifies, father demands death for all accused

New Delhi: A fast-track court Tuesday began the trial against the five accused in the Delhi gang-rape case, around 50 days after the 23-year-old woman`s brutal rape, as the father demanded death penalty for the five men and a juvenile accused.

"All the six accused should be hanged," the father said at a press conference here, stressing that he would pursue the case till the end.

The fast-track court of Additional Sessions Judge Yogesh Khanna started day-to-day trial in the case after framing charges of murder, gang-rape and kidnapping, among others, under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against the five accused.

The case of the juvenile accused is being heard by the Juvenile Justice Board.

The gang-rape victim`s male friend, a software engineer, who was also attacked along with her on the bus, appeared as a witness in the court on a wheelchair accompanied by his father, police said.

Police Monday had filed a supplementary charge sheet that included the autopsy report of the physiotherapy intern who was gang-raped by the six on Dec 16 last year, in a moving bus. She died Dec 29 in a Singapore hospital.

The other charges framed against the accused are unnatural offence, destruction of evidence, attempt to murder, causing hurt while committing robbery, dacoity with murder, and common intent. The accused had pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The court had earlier restricted media from reporting the proceedings in the case and ordered an in-camera trial.

As the trial began in the court, the father of the young woman addressed a press conference to assert that he would approach the courts to ensure that justice was done.

"I want all six of them to be hanged. We will go to the court and pursue the case till the end," he said, with one of his sons by his side.

He said his daughter should not be addressed as a gang-rape victim. "It hurts me. She should be called the country`s brave daughter," the father said.

He also said he did not have "much knowledge" about the ordinance promulgated on Sunday that awards stricter punishment for sexual crimes against women, including death sentence in rare cases.

"We have received Rs.15 lakh from the Delhi government," he said. "But the money cannot make up for our loss."

He said the law should be amended so that the juvenile attacker could also be hanged.